A Little Jekyll Island to Bring Home | The Soles Family Session
When Traci and I started planning her family’s photographs, she told me why she wanted the beach: living in Kansas, it wasn’t something they got to see very often.
That stayed with me. Their trip would take them through Orlando, Savannah, and Jekyll Island, and somewhere in all that adventure, we were making time to photograph the five of them together.
Two teenagers, one busy toddler, and a whooooole lot of life happening in this family. Such a good season to remember!
Planning around the people in the photographs
Traci’s family was more used to shorter mini sessions. This time, we had room to create a fuller picture of their family: everyone together, the kids individually, the two of them, and those little in-between moments that really make you feel.
During our design call, we talked through outfits, the children’s personalities, and keeping the location close to where they were staying on Jekyll Island. Because when you’re already traveling with three kids, the photo session shouldn’t require another complicated itinerary. Come on. You’re on vacation!
We also talked about their home. Traci had a large stairwell wall she wanted to fill with something really personal, and that helped guide our planning from the beginning.
Going BIG with their frame
My favorite part of this story is where their photographs ended up.
Traci wanted to see her family’s portrait when she walked through the front door and from the living room, too. With a tall wall and some distance between the photograph and the people enjoying it, a little frame was going to get lost.
So we created a custom, extra-large framed portrait for that specific space.
We used a photograph of her actual wall to compare sizes and orientation. We considered the view past the stair railing, chose the matting, and planned for reflections from the nearby window. Every one of those details helped us create a piece that belonged in her home.
And now, that little piece of Jekyll Island is part of their everyday life. Their family, together at the beach, right there when they come home. I love that so much.
“Mike and I can’t stop looking at it. We love our photo and it’s the perfect size for that space. Thank you for helping us get the right size and photo on our wall ❤️”
— Traci Soles
We also designed a custom linen album to hold more of their favorites. The frame gives one photograph room to shine; the album lets them revisit the rest.
